Our network of practitioners, many of whom are pioneers in their own fields, are our first source for finding additional pioneers. As each goes about their work, they look for publications or new colleagues that show that rare blend of:

Impartiality – Equally open to the possibility that their idea will, or will not, work. Lets the data lead to the conclusions, rather than the more common practice where data is selected to assert preconceived conclusions.

Vision – Conceives or explores ideas that are beyond the comfort zone of their peers. Looks farther into the future rather than just the next innovation. Willing to branch off into new “S-Curves”. (see below)

Rigor – Conducts work carefully enough so that the readership will judge the results as trustworthy. Conveys the level of uncertainty in the data accurately. Cites the appropriate source material upon which the work was based.

Dedication to the Cause – Has more interest in achieving progress toward the cause (star flight) than in promoting themselves.

Pioneering Vision versus Innovation – Each technological development follows an “S-Curve,” where only little progress is made in the beginning until a breakthrough occurs (lower knee on the curve), and then many improvements are made. Eventually, however, the underlying physical limits are reached and additional work cannot improve performance, the point of “diminishing returns.” To surpass those limits a different method must be found whose physical limits are better. That path, too, will follow an S-curve. Pioneers typically look for the new S-curves, while innovators and established experts in their field tend to further refine existing methods. With virtually all space groups pursuing the nearer-term goals, Tau Zero instead seeks out those who are willing to depart from than norm and seek the revolutionary advancements. Examples include how steam ships surpassed sailing ships; how rockets fly higher than aircraft, how jet aircraft fly faster than propeller aircraft.

3. Contributing to the pool of knowledge

The basic Tau Zero tactic is to find today’s pioneers, support them to accelerate their progress, and then filter out the best prospects. Once sufficiently viable approaches emerge – then it will be time to invest to bring those approaches to fruition.

With a network of individuals having the characteristics described above, progress is only limited by time and resources. It has been found that these individuals are typically willing to participate with others, to find areas of mutual interest for collaboration, or define niches (who does what) to avoid redundant work.

From there, it’s pretty much a matter of following the scientific method for the technical progress, following journalistic integrity for sharing that progress to the public, and applying imagination and writing skills for creating provocative science fiction… to present new possibilities and inspire future generations of pioneers. In short, this means:

Understand the problems well enough to determine what needs to be done next, the critical unknowns and make-break issues.

Focus on resolving the critical make-break issues, and filling in the knowledge gaps. (Note – this is in contrast to a common tendency when writing advocacy papers to avoid discussing critical gaps and issues to promote established ideas)

Publishing those findings to draw the scrutiny and critiques of peers to further improve the next-steps.

Share that progress via journalistic venues so that students and the general public are informed… and hopefully inspired

Extend beyond the scientific method by producing science fiction stories to toy with new ideas and new possibilities.

To convey this progress in a manner where novices can find out who is doing what and the real edge of knowledge, Tau Zero is compiling this progress into our Discoveries Log.

Education includes connecting students to correct and timely information, and guiding them on how to take the next steps. Our Centauri Dreams news forum is our venue for sharing progress to general audiences. We are now seeking grants to scale up to our next level: linking graduate students and faculty to correct and timely information on interstellar flight so that they may make progress to solving the next steps.

Progress

The progress made by practitioners in Tau Zero network is documented in their various books, journal articles, and presentations. Some of these are listed in the “Steps Taken” page. In addition, progress also includes identifying what work remains to be done, more specifically the next steps. Some of these are listed in the “Steps Remaining” page, and are at the level of next-step tasks, each of which could be completed in 1 to 3 years.

Implementation Plan

Tau Zero started an informal network of like-minded scientists and engineers, which evolved to include the collaboration of journalists, artists, and science fiction writers. Through our Tau Zero connections, we could do things beyond the bounds of our day-jobs. Now, Tau Zero is ready to scale up to the next level, of actually sponsoring research. To reach that point, here is our multi-decade implementation plan. Items that are already in progress are in Green font.